St Cloud-stock

the initial lineup for this year's Rock En Seine festival was recently released, and unfortunately it looks like I won't be making the trip back to attend. Having been two years running, I'm a big fan of the concept: major rock bands as well as smaller acts playing in a nice park on the outskirts of Paris, enabling you to experience a rock festival without that funky tent smell. This year ReS is scheduled over three days, as opposed to two, meaning more bands will be there, but there really aren't any that pass my personal test: would I pay the full ticket price just to see this one group? Of course I didn't go before just for one band, but each time I found one of the days where there was a band I loved and a few I was interested in, and was very happy overall. Like Broken Social Scene last year, which played a great , life-affirming show, under light rain which actually made the experience more memorable.
Among the acts programmed so far are Arcade Fire, The Hives, Jesus And Mary Chain, Klaxons, Tool, Bjork and Craig Armstrong. Out of these I guess Arcade Fire would narrowly pass my test, because I have tremendous love for their songs, but I saw them two years ago (at ReS) and do not feel the need to see them again. Seeing JAMC live is an intriguing prospect at best, and out of the other announced bands (with more to come) there's none that really blow my mind. The 3 day pass goes for 98 euros, so I'm guessing a day pass will be around 40 ducats. Not that outrageous if I was seriously into 2-3 acts, but as it stands I'd just rather go to some indie shows in London here and then. Like Loney, dear on April 25 at a venue 5 mins from my place (I am so wearing shorts and flip-flops to that one), or Grizzly Bear and Band of Horses in May at Scala. Music is one of the rare artforms where smaller often means better, so until I get tired of overpriced beer and generally feeling old at these things, I will do my best to keep my indie-yuppie cred alive.

preach!

I don't always agree with what this blogger writes, but I thought this recent post was particularly spot-on. Kinda sad, but very truthful. My generation can be a bit lame at times, and I'm not hopeful that the following ones will pick things up.

witty like Sunday morning

this is an example why I should carry around my digicam more. I've been past this store countless times since moving here, yet this weekend was the first time I had the opportunity to take a picture of its great sign.
I often feel self-conscious when taking pictures in public, but I'm trying to force myself to overcome that mental block because, although I'm a very average picture-taker (note my avoidance of the p-word), they're always fun to look at later. Plus Flickr is harder to stop than Pringles once you open an account. It is a beast that needs to be fed, constantly.
Next up: going up to the top-floor of the double-decker I take home from work and filming the journey home. I'm sure Oxford Street will provide scenery as enthralling, if not more, as what I filmed in my Lelouch-like On The 39.

does this mean I'm old?

home is a fickle concept for me. Having moved around quite a bit growing up, the notions of roots and origins were, well, foreign to me. Home was wherever I lived with my parents and siblings, and though I loved going back to France for the holiday and seeing other family members, that country did not seem like home to me. And neither did it when I came back as a fresh-faced 18-year old to study. Hence, in part, the title of this blog. I have a French passport, but don't really feel like that defines me. Living in the land of cheese for nearly ten years did make me appreciate it a lot, which is good because that was one of the reasons I wanted to move there, but overall I never felt any sense of loyalty to the country I imagine some who have lived there all their lives might have. That isn't to say I harbor any particular apathy toward France; I might not want to live there permanently, but I will always feel a need to come back to visit, if only because there are plenty of people I care about there.
That said, if I had to say where home was for me, I would probably answer Paris, because it's where my parents live, and as all children now live elsewhere (in 3 different countries actually), is generally the rallying point for our semi-regular reunions. In fact, even though I moved out for good 4 years ago, the entry in my cell phone for my parents' number is still "home". If (cliche-alert) home is where the heart is, I have no doubt where that is for me. We're not the gushy type in our family, telling each other "I love you" constantly like in 7th Heaven (and if we're having arguments, they're generally not resolved by minute 42), but we're pretty close. This was definitely a factor in my decision to bolt for these greyer skies, as I did not feel like I would lose out anything in my relationship with them.
It's probably one of the reasons why the following lyrics by matt Pond PA resonate so much with me, even though I'd be the first to admit they're no Dylan material (then again when your all-time favorite line of lyrics are "but the feelings that stay with you now / get lost over time somehow" your tastes aren't based on pure wordplay, to say the least):

i’m going home, back to new hampshire
i’m so determined
to lay in lakes
and see my sisters
i will hit my brother
and hold my mother

Now I've only been to New Hampshire in passing, and I don't even have one sister, but these words mean the world to me. It reminds me how fantastic it feels to go home again, that familiar feeling of comfort and general peace. Of course the habitual arguments might spring up here and there, but in a way they are part of the relationship too. Family means no bullshit, and growing up into adulthood you learn to appreciate this. Doesn't mean everything's Rockefeller-peachy either, after all being annoyed by family is a near-obligation, but these aren't the things I remember after a weekend or more with la familia. I realize it isn't always that easy, that many people have the bad luck of being in abusive family relationships, or maybe worse, not having family at all, which is why I think someone in my situation can feel fortunate to have had good people like them put up with my punk-ass for so many years. I don't have my own family yet, but when (if?) that happens I can only hope to replicate what I see as a successful model. Although if we could avoid the middling-to-bad eyesight and mediocre teething that would be the bee's knees. Not that I'm complaining, no sirree, that is definitely not what blogs are for.

quibbling

one of the advantages of having lived in Paris means that you get to see "your" city on the big screen a lot. Countless films have been shot there, and to the knowing eye there's always a small detail waiting to be recognized (mostly so you can bore other viewers with your stories about how you once bought a poulet-croudités from that boulangerie). Recently I watched Paris Je T'aime, a collection of 18 shorts about Paris made by 18 different directors in so many neighborhoords. While the movie itself is more of a novelty project than a truly interesting oeuvre, some of the segments are decent enough for this to be a pleasant viewing. However, in the part with Nathalie Portman, which takes place in my old stomping grounds of the 10e, she goes to the Conservatoire du 10e for some acting classes. You see her boyfriend drop her off a few times in front of the place...except it really isn't. It's actually the town hall building, which is located just in front of the street where the Conservatoire is truly found. I should know, I partied at the Cons' after-hours, which to those in the know holds as much indie cred as saying you once shared a banana-split with Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (you decide). I wonder how and why such a mistake could be made in a film where location, admittedly, is everything. It's not major, but it's the stuff you notice when you "know". Of course what I'm really mad at is that apparently Nathalie Portman filmed scenes all over my neighborhood (including pre-renovation Gare de l'Est, O how I miss thee) and nobody bothered to tell me. Just another classic example of Parisian rudeness, hmph.

Spaced out

despite having a few such titles among my favorite movies, science-fiction is not a genre I am particularly enamored with, to say the least. Too often I find these movies focus too much on the technological and futuristic aspects, jettisoning character development in the process. No such problem with Sunshine. The basic plot premise (50 or so years in the future, a team of astronauts are sent to the dying sun to try and reactivate it) and the strong team behind the movie (director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland) had this pegged as one of the can't miss releases of the year for me, and I wasn't disappointed. In fact I saw it twice this weekend, something I had never done before and usually associated with Star Wars or Lord of the Rings fanboys. But this movie really spoke to me, on a core emotional level. It was far from perfect, but the fact that it had some flaws (mostly in the last 20 minutes) made me relate to it even more, if that makes sense. At the heart of the story is an interesting exploration of how man deals with his humanity, and even though some of the plot points near the end were a bit questionable, they never took me out of the movie.

From a cinematic POV it had many different qualities, from an assured direction and cinematography, to terrific acting by all involved (Cillian Murphy was great as always, but the real revelation to me was that Chris Evans is actually a pretty decent actor. Oh, and Rose Byrne did make me a bit weak at the knees) and a great ambient-y score by John Murphy and Underworld. But what really made the movie successful, in my mind, was that all of the action took place on the spaceship, with these 8 characters. Very little time was spent explaining exactly what the problem with the sun was, or pontificating about the fate of humanity, with the complete focus being on the mission. For someone who's always been interested in these types of questions, albeit from afar, the blend of action and contemplation provided by this film was exactly the type of setting I needed to turn off my sci-fi oblivion.

take care

as a huge fan of modern technology-enabled communication means, I love that you can change countries, or even continents and still maintain healthy contacts with your friends and family. Skype, instant messenger and email are all great complements to the traditional phone call. I remember when I was growing up in Asia we'd call my grandma and have this little hour glass thingy to check the length of our phone calls. With Skype that sort of concern is but a faint memory.
Still, more ways to communicate doesn't mean you necessarily do it better, so it's up to one's motivation to make sure distance doesn't put a damper on your personal relationships. For instance this week I sent my first-ever care package to a friend. It only contained a mix CD and a short note, but it's nothing I'd never done before. The reason I did it is I because I often gave compilations of recent musical discoveries to this friend back in Paris and I thought that this gesture would be more appreciated than receiving an email with the same content. The whole process actually felt pretty fun, kinda like I imagine riding a horse buggy might be. I do anticipate I'll try to keep the habit.

Also in the same vein, I tried my hand at a crossword puzzle today. I'm pretty sure the one I tried out (from New York magazine) isn't considered a tough cookie like, say, the NY Times, but it felt nice to work on a potential new hobby. Still, I'm guessing the PSP which I recently bought might win out in the battle for my attention, old-school revivalism or not.

and so it begins

although it might not be evident to 99.99% of people living in this country (or continent), today is one of the greatest days of the year, also known as Opening Day. To put it in layman's terms, tis the first day of the baseball season, and thus all seems right in the world. Well, maybe not, but at least us baseball fans get to look forward to a few months of the real beautiful game.

I first got into the sport when I spent a few weeks in Massachussets back in the mid-90s. I was staying at a friend's who was pretty good at the sport, and this being summer, he played a game with his various teams almost every other day. I wasn't very familiar with it at first, but I quickly became enamored with the many facets of it, from the on-the-field action to the surrounding setting. Baseball is a very relaxed sport, to say the least, sure there's action on the field, but there's also a strong social aspect to it, much more so than any other sport I've witnessed. Indeed going to a game with friends is to me not simply about going to watch athletes throw and hit a ball around. It's also very much about just hanging out with said friends, or talking with seat-neighbors about anything from the pitcher's motion to the best itinerary to go back to Albany, and just basically enjoying being outdoors for a few hours. Like most baseball fans my love for the sport can border on geekiness (please remind me to never tell you about my fantasy baseball team), but I dig that it's not just about that.

Of course living in Europe isn't really conducive to sharing this love of baseball. There's fans here and there (mostly expats), but as far as I know, my brother's the only other Met fan I've ever met in Paris. Thankfully the MLB (baseball league organization) is very good at providing access to the games online, so for the past 3-4 years I've been enjoying as many games as I can of my team and others from the comfort of my home. Since many games are played during the day, the time-difference doesn't affect me as much as it does for other sports like basketball (for instance tonight's college basketball finals start at 2:00am here. ugh). And although I've come to enjoy soccer a lot since moving to France ten years ago, I'm glad I can still enjoy this personal pleasure of mine, for a few hours at a time.

where's the beef

as we all know fast food is bad for you. Bad, bad, bad. There's been a book and a movie about it, both of which I've both ingested (ha). There's also this quaint concept called common sense: if you eat too much of something that's got lots of fat, you're gonna become fat yourself.
But there's a reason why people, myself including, keep eating it, it's that it's the ultimate comfort food. Sure a lot of it, okay most of it, is gross, but the 8-year-old in all of us really likes it, so once in a while we succumb to the crave. For many, myself included again, that happens in a drunken stupor in the wee hours. Seriously, I cannot fathom how much it must suck to work at any of those fast-food joints downtown after midnight. Except for the Wiener Circle in Chicago, because the Wiener Circle is Awesome. But it's no revelation to say that fast food is here to stay

Overall I tend to stay away from fast food, thankfully in part because I don't like it too much anymore. But every so often I'll come across an ad for a new product from one of the merchants of fats and feel compelled to try it out. Such was the case with KFC's latest offering, the Honey BBQ Boneless Bites. Now at 7am in the tube seeing a poster for this might not make your taste buds whimper in anticipation, but on a Sunday with no known plans for lunch, it sounded like a most excellent idea.

Thus the trek was made this morning to my local bluegrass state poultrian establishment, like a man on a mission. Come to think of it, I kind of was a man on a mission. For some that means climbing Mount Everest, for others trying out a new delicacy of modern chemistry.

Here they are, the BBQ bites in all their sticky glory


Feeding the belly is one thing, but real men need intellectual stimulation too (um, and footy results)


Overall I wasn't disappointed: the honey BBQ sauce was very tasty, and the chicken breat tender. Since I try to keep these sorts of outings to a minimum (drunken shenanigans notwithstanding, although recently I am proud to say there have been less of those too), I'm glad that I enjoyed this experiment.

Speaking of which, after dining at Chez Colonel Sanders, I went to Sainsbury's to pick up a few essentials, and came upon this miracle of modern science: red Coca Cola. Now there's something that lies beyond the curiosity of even an adventurous lad like myself.

highlights

after a month or so spent in London, here's a short compilation of some of the things I've seen and done since arriving. The music is by Loney, Dear.

Jackass (no, for real)

In light of Londonist's post today on the moronic ski stunt pulled by some extreme-sports dude at Angel station, with which I agree 100% (the post, not the stunt), I thought I'd give an example of a similar exploit witnessed on camera that is actually funny, if you're into that juvenile, kinda-dangerous drunken tomfoolery stuff. And truly, who isn't?

throw away your television

it is an inescapable fact that television is now THE main source in entertainment in any household. Sure, people still go out to plays, read books and sometimes might even play some Hungry Hungry Hippos, but in most houses TV is just turned on all the time now. Not having one currently, probably for the first time in my life, I have realized that not only do I not mind, I don't really miss it. Despite never having been a huge TV watcher, I've done my fair share of it over the years. But the truth is that nowadays I have a perfectly acceptable substitute in my computer. Sure it's only got a 13-inch screen, so I'll never be able to plop down on a couch eight feet away and enjoy a movie, but in my room, it's great. Pretty much all of my video-watching needs are covered, and it should only get better in the years ahead:

Movies:
with online DVD-rental services, movie lovers have thousands of titles at their disposal, generally much more than at their local rental spots. Personnally I use lovefilm, with a service plan that allows me unlimited rentals, with 2 DVDs out at any given time. I've thus been able to watch a mix of never-seen classics and new releases. The monthly price of £12.99 seems even more worth it when you consider that that's what a weekend seat at a Leicester Square movie theater costs. I'm not joking, I went to see 300 this Saturday and the seat was £13.
But the real future of this area is in the offering of movies through online stores. Lovefilm offers the service, with the possibility to rent for £2.99 (meaning a download which allows you to view the movie for a 24-48 hr period) or buy for £9.99 (you keep the download forever). Other sites have different formulas, but the common problem with these services is the DRM which prevents some users, say those with a Mac OS, from using them. For my part I'm waiting for iTunes to offer movies on its store, as it does in the US, although there it's only buy-to-own for now.

TV shows:
As a huge fan of certain shows (Lost, The Office...) and having lived in the US, I have never liked the long delays that it takes for these shows to be shown abroad, if they are at all. In France it was ever worse as many times they were dubbed. And we all know dubbing is one of the deadly sins. So for this I had to use the Internet to "acquire" my favorite dramas and comedies in a timely fashion. That way I can watch them when I want, even where I want since I do so on my laptop.
Again, TV shows can be bought in the US iTunes store, but not abroad, seemingly for rights issues. When they will, I would love to get a season pass for my favorites, and keep watching them on my computer.

News:
This is a recent discovery of mine: major news organizations now provide video podcasts which enable anyone with Internet access and a podcast application, like iTunes, to receive some of their programs. Right now I've got daily podcasts from a variety of sources, both French and foreign (iTele, LCI, NBC News, BBC morning edition, M6) which give me a pretty comprehensive roundup of the day's news. Now if only more broadcasters, like Arte with their fantastic Arte News, would offer their programs this way.

shine on

today was a glorious one, for this was the day I was able to wear shorts outdoors for the first time in 2007. The sun was blazing, the wind not too brisk for once, and my weekend hangover gone (goshdarn calvados), thus all conditions met for London to enjoy the sight of my oh-so pristine legs for the first time. No, don't thank me, really, I insist.

Also, I hit up the Abercrombie store this weekend, to see if it would remind me of the countless establishments I visited in yesteryears. Well, apart from the fresh-faced Dawson's extras working as staff, it was no dice on the nostalgia for me. A very prestigious location that was barely advertised on the outside, a near-dark interior, and LOUD thumping dance music had me wondering whether I'd mysteriously wandered into one of those shady Camden stores. Still, I'm a sucker for buying stuff, so I did end up getting a pair of jeans and a shirt. Self-control, what's that?

press, fold, repeat

part of the appeal of moving to a new city, for me, was to change my lifestyle. Living in the same apartment, with the same roomies, for 3 years gave me some pretty regular habits. Not that I'd do the same thing every single weekend (that would be hard and kinda sad in a city like Paris), but I had my supermarket, my bar, my Italian "traiteur", and so on. Moving to London was definitely an opportunity to change all that and get some new habits. Right now I'm at a time where I'm looking to explore as much as I can, but it's always good to know what secrets your neighborhood holds. You know, finding a great Thai restaurant or an indie music store just a couple of blocks from your place for those lazy Sunday strolls. And speaking of lazy, I very quickly decided that I wasn't going to do any laundry anymore, save the occasional gym clothes load. So I quickly made an appraisal of my various possibilities and found this place where I can drop a bag off in the morning and get it back at the end of the day, all clean and fresh and folded (although I refold the clothes since they tend to do it in a weird way that's not very cupboard-friendly).
So basically every week or fortnight (if I'm feeling resilient) I give them this:
And then for £6-8, I get back my smelly clothes all fresh and clean anew:

Hooray for financially-empowered laziness.

forever young

as must have been apparent to anyone hanging out in Central London recently, Abercrombie & Fitch is opening a store on Savile Row today, and to mark the occasion has plastered many a double deckers with prominent posters announcing the event. True to the brand ethos, the ad features a shirtless young man turning his back to us, I guess because when you're an "edgy" brand like A&F, you like to defy social conventions like it ain't no thing.
As the premier purveyors of preppy teenage chic, A&F have been big in the States for a while now, so I guess it was to be expected for them to explore these shores one day. After all, as crappy Hollywood actioners have shown, it's not the quality of your product that matters, as long as you find new countries to sell it in. Not to say Abercrombie products are bad, they're definitely a step above American Eagle, Gap and other competitors, but haute-couture this is not, despite the ever-increasing prices. Having been a high schooler in the US, I know how powerful the brand is in the coveted youth market, power from which it derives most of its value. I'm sure Ralph Lauren, that other supplier of preppiness, would love to have Abercrombie's image, as it is seen as rather dowdy, to say the least.
A&F has been criticized in the past for being a bit too image-conscious, sometimes relegating people who fit less with their brand image (i.e. not fit, teethy and, um, white) to the back of stores. The brand bases a lot of its marketing on sex-appeal, be it through regular ad campaigns of shirtless young guys (see: any double-decker on Regent Street right now) or girls in skimpy outfits, as well as through its annual Christmas calendar, with its SHOCKING photos of quasi-nude models. Seeing as how this brand is geared toward teenagers, you can imagine how that might not please everyone in mainstream USA. Cue the yearly CNN reports about A&F's calendar and the various Christian organizations making their statements and you get a good example of the sex sells adage. Not to mention a few other scandals like having offensive slogans on tee-shirts.
But for now there's just this one store in the whole of Europe, so we'll see if it works well enough for the expansion to go on. I suspect it will, seeing as how kids these days seem to be used to spending massive amounts of money on their clothing. As for me I'll definitely be making a visit to the store soon, and see if they'll be able to make me buy one of their hoodies so I can feel like I'm dressing "young". Nostalgia is a powerful thing, that's for sure.

southern comfort

back in 2001 I spent three months in London for an internship, months during which I barely got to explore the city due to a pretty heavy workloads (night-sessions, weekends). But I still had a lot of fun, due to being part of a team of interns, all French, most of whom I actually lived with. Since we spent so much time at the office, we had to rely on our neighborhood restaurants for most of our meals. Thankfully that aspect was not a problem, however we often went back to the same places, namely a thai restaurant and an italian eatery. The latter was called Bar Remo, and I still have fond memories of us 5 going to pick up our orders with the head waitress saying "ciao" and "thank you bello" to us.

Over the past years I've come back to London regularly, and made a point to visit these old haunts, in part due to nostalgia, but really because when it comes to simple, kind-of affordable food in that area (Oxford Circus), the pickings can be pretty slim. Making a permanent move here last month provided me with a renewed sense of newcomerness, and coming to Bar Remo for a quick bite has been one of the things that has allowed me to quickly feel at home in this tremendous city. Though some of the staff has changed, they're still as nice as always, the tuna melt tastes as great as back then, and the old pictures of soap stars on the walls haven't moved. These past few weeks I've been going every Saturday for lunch, generally after running some quick errands (located on Princes Street just off Regent Street, you can't beat that), and it feels like the tradition we had in 2001 might just get replaced by a new one. Because truthfully, who doesn't like being called "bello" while entering a familiar place?

Bar Remo

sound advice 3 - Jeremy Larson

once upon a time I tried to use the full power of the Internet to discover new music. Scouring mp3 blogs, myspace and amazon.com listmanias (wait, is it listmanii?) were almost like a full-time hobby, and being the kind of fellow who enjoys his social life as much as his eyesight, I quickly realized this was not something a working man could do seriously. I guess there's a reason why many of those mp3 blogs are tended to by college students.
But my love for discovering new music never went away, of course, so I just took my searches down a notch or three, and enjoyed the bands and artists I found that much more. One brilliant example of that is today's focus. I came across one of Jeremy Larson's songs on some random TV show and after listening to the guy's myspace, knew I had something special on my hands.
Hailing from Springfield, MO (no, I don't know where that is either. I'm afraid the closest I've ever been to the Midwest is suburban Chicago), Jeremy Larson uses his classical music performance background in pieces that are sometimes subdued but always vivid. Listening to track like Today or The Thief, there's a sense that he likes layers (with the piano as the main instrument) and enjoys seeing how these various sounds can play together, while still remaining mostly within the familiar canons of pop. Speaking of familiar, the piano riff on Make Believe sounds very much like Elephant Parade by Jon Brion off the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Yet to me it seems more like a winking homage than a rip-off. Elephant Parade is a gorgeous 26-second interlude, and Jeremy Larson sounds like a fan who wanted to see what he could come up with for a 4 minute pop tune.
With the release of his debut album scheduled for 2007, this guy could be one of the good finds of the year. He doesn't have any dates planned yet, but here's hoping that touring will be on the cards for him, especially if he manages to come to Europe for a few shows.

official site
myspace
youtube: live performance of Today

I don't know what to say to that

the internet is pretty awesome, everybody knows it. And everyday, we get more proof of it. In today's watershed example, we have people collaborating to answer the age old question:
does masterbation (sic) make you lose weight?

By the way, if you're looking for more unabashed fun, check out Yahoo! Answers' section on dating. Random and weird, yes, but also quite useful.

routine lunch

okay, so mayyyybe the brownie wasn't necessary

something old, something new

although not a music expert by any means, I've come to listen to a lot of music over the years, and appreciate a wide variety of style and artists. As a child of the 80s I have fond memories of the first cassette album I bought (the Dick Tracy soundtrack, score one for artistic integrity), but as the digital revolution has accelerated in recent years, I've also appreciated the ease with which we can now listen, buy and share our music pretty much anywhere. As such I've always been a big fan of peer to peer, as it allows me to listen to stuff before deciding to plunk down some hard-earned cash for it. Of course the whole peer to peer debate is full of grey areas, as it should be, considering how different uses there can be of it. For instance I know people who do not buy any CDs at all, when they would purchase at least one a month before they got into P2P. Myself I consider that if the music is good, the artists/band deserves the money, whatever opinion I may have of the current music distribution system, and also I like to have some sort of physical backup of my music, not just bytes floating accumulating on my hard drive.
My love for music has caused me to frequent many a record stores, and work in one even, but I'd never been truly satisfied with the options offered in Paris. Sure, if you get away from the main merchants some stores are pretty good (Gibert, for one), but I never understood how in the 21st century many CDs were not available because they had not been officially released in France. Sometimes you'd find an (overpriced) import, most times not. So I'd keep going from time to time to these sonic establishments, but more out of habit than from expecting to find that new CD from this indie Canadian band I'd heard of on the net. Mostly I'd order online, through Amazon's vendor system, because it was cheaper, and when you spend as much on music as I do, that kind of thing counts. A lot.
But since moving to the UK I have rediscovered my inner music nerd, going to record stores (or shops, as they say here), talking to the sales clerks and other expressions of tomfoolery. Music is adored here, truly, and by a great deal of people. Here, indie doesn't really mean anything anymore because the Kaiser Chiefs or Bloc Party can, and do, top the charts. People invest themselves in music, as a way to develop their identity probably, which is exactly the sort of quasi-pathetic behavior I exhibit.
And since I'm a big fan of well-stocked chain record stores, I'm pretty much in heaven here. HMVs and Virgin Megastores everywhere, this feels like NYC all over again. One thing I've started doing is checking out the new releases (every Monday they update it with new stuff. crazy!), and if I have the time I do so on Monday. HMV Mondays, I call it, because when you're a consumerist, or at least a pretend-one, you need spiffy labels to justify your irrational need to accumulate earthly possessions. I actually get the feeling that one of these days I'll actually buy a CD from that new releases section, without having listened to it beforehand. Kinda like what I used to do in the olden days. Pretty cool, I think, although I'm not missing the cassette format, and never ever will.

sound advice 2 - Loney, Dear

one of my favorite musical memories of 2006 was going to the Swedish Cultural Institute for their Fete de la Musique concert. They had a bunch of Swede bands and artists, mostly folk and pop, playing in their courtyard. I went with a good buddy from my second-hand CD store days, and it was a great event, not even dampened by the semi-rainy conditions.
For some reason Sweden has been a pretty big force in the music world in the past few years, with a lot of folk-influenced artists notably. Which is good, because for a lot of people Swedish music means ABBA, and though there's a time and place for ABBA, it's not exactly the greatest thing since sliced bread (or stale one, for that matter).There are also some good rock bands out of there, like The Hives, Sahara Hotnights or the eccentric Dungen, but for me the whole Swedish folk scene has made the biggest mark. It all started in 1998 with Kristofer Astrom's brilliant Go, Went, Gone, and since then I've periodically discovered artists in that vein coming from the land of fjords, like Nicolai Dunger or Christian Kjellvander.
The newest addition to this ever-growing family is Loney, Dear. It's really one guy, called Emil Svanängen, and he makes some great pop with just a sliver of folk. I hear some Bob Wilson, some Paul Simon and others in his tunes, which is just the sort of stuff I'm looking for. He recently signed with SubPop in the US, which led them to release his new self-titled album early this month, hopefully to some success. The guy started in 2004, recording most of his stuff at home, making and selling CD-Rs of his resulting demos. It worked enough for him so that he managed to self-release an album last year, Sologne, and it seems like 2007 might be a big year for him. I actually haven't heard his new one in its entirety, but I'm so stuck on Sologne, which I discovered two weeks ago, that I don't know if that day will come very soon. Sologne is chock full of pretty harmonies, ascending choruses, and speaks of a world that sounds much more optimistic and colourful than the one I'm used to. Although the music is acoustic guitar-driven, there are a bunch of other, less common instruments used here, kind of like what Sufjan Stevens does. And despite my general description of the material, it's not just lullabyes and sugary ditties, as some songs have a pretty strong drive. For me the standout is I Love You (In With The Arms), but that is an opinion that might change, for there are so many great tracks on here. Of course the guy was in concert in London ten days ago, and I only found out about it this week, but you can bet your ABBA vinyls that when he comes back I'll be there to enjoy the musical goodness.

official site
myspace
youtube: live performance of I Love You (In With The Arms)

The Last Kiss

just watched this, and I have to admit, it wasn't that bad, but it was really kinda dull. It's about this 29-ish guy (played by Zach Braff) who realizes his life is kinda set: his girlfriend (the gorgeous Jacinda Barrett) is pregnant, she wants to buy a house, he's got a good job,yadda yadda... In the 50s, this would be the definition of a perfect life (well, except for the not married part), but since Mike is from this so-called Gen X, he gets antsy about it. And when he meets this cute carefree college girl he immediately falls for her. All the while we see his three childhood friends who all have relationship problems of their own, as if that age was some sort of momentous passage to real grown-up land or something, which apparently is supposed to scare guys.

SPOILER ALERT

Mike does sleep with the girl, and understandably his gf is pissed. Apparently that's when boy genius realizes what he has is great and he really has messed up, so he tries to win her back.

END SPOILER

The main problem with the movie is we aren't made to understand clearly what Mike's problem is. Just because he's in his late-20s and his life is set doesn't automatically mean he should have this giant problem with it. As if that were an automatic recipe for a quarter life crisis. One of Mike's friend (played by Casey Affleck), who is married and has a kid, is in a similar situation, but in his case you can sorta empathize with him because you understand from his interactions with his wife there might be some issues between these two. Mike, from what we see on screen, just comes off as a slight moron who's bored, and that's a pretty big problem for this type of relationship movie, where characters are everything.
Anytime of these relationship movies for the young come out (like Garden State) they call it The Graduate for a new generation. But as someone who's seen that movie a bunch of times, I can honestly say The Graduate is The Graduate for today's generation. That flick is still as relevant today as it was in 1967, and though I'd love for an equivalent movie to be made for us Gen-Xers, I haven't seen it happen yet.

sigh

I am such a cliché: right now I am checking out the Internet (and typing this, obviously) on my Macbook at the local Starbucks.
In other news the move to London went great, I found a place in three days and I will now focus my undivided energy to the job hunt. But not after watching the Superbowl at the local pub.

sound advice 1 - Arcade Fire

since posting about my desire to write more regularly about music I've been thinking about what artist or band I could start with. I listen to a wide variety of music genres, and asking me my current favorite album pretty much depends on what minute you ask me. Writer's block this was not, more like writer's indecision. And then something pretty big happened, in a way that is now the norm on this here Internet: the new Arcade Fire album, due for release on March 6, was leaked yesterday. Therefore I will start things off with a bang, and talk about this quirky fantastic band from Montreal.
Started by a husband and wife duo in 2003 and composed of seven members with additional musicians during tours, the band quickly gained exposure in the indie world through their frenetic live performances, which showcased the group's affinity for instruments not traditionally part of the rock canon, such as violins, xylophones and, um, helmets. Having seen them live I can attest to the extraordinary positive energy one feels while attending an AF concert, and can only hope I'll have the opportunity to see them again. At its apex it feels like you're witnessing an out-of-control orchestra, except everything makes sense, sonically. The buzz that was established during these gigs was confirmed with the North American release of their debut album, Funeral, in late 2004. Thematically devoted to death, this album nonetheless captured the imagination of many a-bloggers and music fans with its ingenious lyrics, epic hooks and bombastic yet sorrowful harmonies. The album benefited from a major buzz campaign and eager reviews in most of the major music magazines, from NME to Spin, and with the added benefit of continuous touring, the band made itself tons of fans in a hurry, among which many famous ones such as David Bowie or U2, for which AF opened 3 shows on their 2005 Vertigo tour.
So of course in such a case there is mucho excitement for the sophomore release, a step which is often a big stumbling point for many indie bands. Well I am glad to report that it seems that, musically at least, the Arcade Fire have sidestepped that obstacle. There are some elements new to the AF universe, like the stately organ used on "My Body Is A Cage" or the banjo on "Keep The Car Running", but the most important thing, the one that has enamored this band to so many people around the world, utter and true emotion, is still there. I'm sure that I'll be listening to this record for the coming weeks, dissecting it the same way as I dissected its predecessor, and my opinion will deepen, from an overall feeling of satisfaction to a detailed impression of each song. For now I can say that 2007, with this release but also that of The Shins and Bloc Party's albums (who were both leaked a few months back), promises to be a great year on the rock front.

Offical site for the new album
Offical site for the band
The band's myspace (with a song from the album, Black Mirror)

ch-ch-changes

having lived in Paris pretty much non-stop for almost ten years now, I made the decision at the end of last year to move abroad. I grew up in many different countries, from Asia to North America, and moving around is definitely something I got used to. And since I felt like professionally I'd achieved what I wanted when I joined my company (for my first post-graduation job) more than 3 years ago, the moment definitely was right for a move.
Although technically I am of French nationality, due to all the traveling we did when I was a kid, I've acquired a culture that is very much of the English-speaking variety. From US sports, TV shows and music to British literature, as well as the fact that I think mostly in English, I've always felt sort of an outsider since coming back to France when it came to common experiences. Of course living here 10 years has enabled me to learn a lot about the country, its citizens (my compatriots), but I never felt as if I was really where I belonged, hence the title of this blog. Don't get me wrong, I love Paris to death, as well as the other regions like Brittany that I've been lucky enough to travel to, and I'm glad to be near most of my family (especially since my parents are now back to living in Paris after more than 20 years abroad), but deep down I always knew I wasn't here for the long haul.
After looking at Canada for a few weeks, I then settled on the UK, in part because I know and like that country, and also because I felt that it wouldn't be too hard to find a job there. Thus my decision was made and I gave my resignation to HR in late October. I gave them the typical three months' notice, so that I could organize my departure, and, hopefully, start looking for a job.
Well I'm now getting close to the big day, and although I've barely started my job hunt (on account of having much more stuff to do at work than I'd anticipated I would), I've done almost all of the things I had to do before leaving. You know, canceling subscriptions, saying "bye" to people and all that jazz. So in a way this is kind of an adventure for me since I'll be moving abroad without employment, but I'm confident that with my experience and background I'll find something under two months. In any event I've been careful to set aside some dough (with help from the 'rents as well) to make sure I have more than 1 month's expenses on hand. So no job at Starbucks for me, at least I hope not :)
I have to say all of this, from preparing the move, to looking at possible apartments and thinking about what job I want to look for, is terribly exciting and the best possible cure for any sort of restlessness I might've felt during the second part of 2006. I feel like London is a great destination for me, be it on a professional or personal level, and I cannot wait to be there.
So with eleven days to spare before I board the Eurostar, I'm busy finishing up what needs finishing up, listening to the Libertines, and generally enjoying all the greatness that Paris has to offer. Of course I'll be back here pretty soon, if only to vote in the upcoming Presidential elections, but it'll be as a Londoner. As the brits say, brilliant !

make money money, go shopping

the winter sale period started this past Wednesday, apparently with a bang as many stores reported record sales after what most considered a very weak few months for them. My current shopping list being pretty much empty, I was thinking I'd get out of this year's sale without too much damage to the ol' bank account. So of course I ended up buying a bunch of things this Saturday, mostly due to hanging out for an hour or so in the 6e on my way to my parents. Rookie mistake, I know.
The "final" booty ?

• a pair of Campers
• a sweater from Muji
• a Fred Perry polo

Thankfully this sort of thing doesn't happen too often. I couldn't fathom being a fashion-addict, the type who goes to clothing stores every week and for whom the current sales period is like
the Superbowl. There's enough of them in Paris as it is, and that's fine with me.

jammed

so apparently everyone had taken last week off, because this week has been a sardines-fest on the commute. From the line 4 to the RER C, this has been a pretty good reminder how rush hour can suck, and commuters' attitude even more. And that's with nary a strike in sight, although that shouldn't be too long, what with the always-fun debate on pensions being put back on the news front-burner today. Of course morning commutes are never fun in big cities, it's just weird to see so many people go away and come back from vacation at the same time, I've never got used to it. I've done rush hour in London and in NYC, and they're often worse than Paris in terms of commuter volume, however the number of people is pretty constant, save from a few special days per year. RTTs, paid holidays, not living to work but working to live, all that stuff is great, but sometimes you wonder about the long-term prospects of the French economy in a country where so many people are away so often.

a new era

yesterday was the annual Keynote presentation at the Macworld trade expo, done as always by Apple's iconic CEO, Steve Jobs. There had been rumors swirling around for a while now, as this Keynote is usually the event where the company introduces its new products. Last year it was the Intel iMac and the Macbook Pro, this year the expectations were once again sky-high, with a very clear focus (as seen on the main rumor sites) during the past months on the supposed Apple phone, pre-dubbed the iPhone.

Well for once everyone was right on at least one rumor: the iPhone is now a reality, and it will be released in the US in june, in Europe in Q4 06 and in Asia in 2008. The thing sounds amazing, combining a widescreen iPod (with video capabilities) with traditional phone and Internet features. All this with a multi-touch navigation system, meaning you won't need a small keyboard or stylus. For people like me who've been waiting for a phone that would be a suitable replacement for their MP3 player, this is it. Of course it's not cheap, with the 4 GB model selling for $499 and the 8GB for $599, but considering how jam-packed the thing is, that price doesn't sound too outrageous, especially considering nothing like it exists on the market.

And the best news out of all this ? My Apple stock shot up like a rocket, gaining more than 8% on the day, to $92.57. Although I'm going to sell pretty soon, in preparation for my move abroad, this is great news.

nochas

back when I was a kid, Sunday night was one of my least favorite times of the week, seeing as it meant going back to school soon. I don't know if you've noticed but when you're little, time seems to go by much slower. When the weekend started, it seemed like vacation to me, as if the next Monday was very faraway. But come Sunday night, I always had a hard time getting to sleep, even if I felt perfectly relaxed. Over time I got past this weird hang-up, in part because, well, time just seems to go by much faster when you get older.
Unfortunately I had a flashback to those times last night as I had a heck of a time falling asleep, even if I felt pretty tired when I went to bed. I blame it on the fact that I had got 2 great nights of at least 9-hour sleep that weekend, but I'm also sure that this is an example of how the irrational fears we have as youngsters never truly go away. Since I've never seen a shrink (and don't plan to in the near future), I never have very good explanations for such things. Or interpretation, because I'm guessing there never is never a true explanation for matters of the psyche. I guess the next best thing is just writing about it on the internet.

soundtrack : Azure Ray - Sleep

everyone else is doing it

apparently I can't call myself a blogger (not that I do that stuff) unless I post a top-ten list of 2006 of some sort, so here goes, my 10 favorite movies from the year :

1. Children of Men (Alfonso Cuaron)
a bleak dystopian film that somehow manages to be the most current major film released this year despite being set 30+ years in the future, this would deserve a top-3 finish from a technical standpoint alone (see: the amazing tracking shots). But there's also some terrific acting, starting with Clive "the man" Owen and Michael "no less the man" Caine, all the way to the smallest supporting roles, and a tremendous spirit throughout the movie that had me more inspired than I've felt in a long while.

2. Half-Nelson (Ryan Fleck)
not an "easy" film by any means, this featured the best acting performance I saw this year in Ryan Gosling's phenomenal portrayal of a drug-addicted schoolteacher.

3. The Departed (Martin Scorcese)
Marty's back baby! Whisky for everyone, on me. Oh, and LEO! is now officially a man.

4.Babel (Alexandro Inarritu)
a very ambitious take on the bonds human forms with their kin and others, I thought this was the best out of Inarritu's trilogy, after Amores Perros and 21 Grams. And I definitely love those movies.

5.The Puffy Chair (The Duplass Brothers)
a very good relationship movie, which in itself is no small feat, considering all the stinkers that genre has seen. The actors feel really real, as opposed to movie real (yes, a lot of people do say dude very often, I know I do), with great, assured directing.

6. The New World (Terrence Malick)
as a huge fan of Malick's dreamy visuals, I'm not one to be bothered by the length his last two movies have had. No one shows the inner life of humans through shots of nature like this guy, and the last 10 minutes of the film were a perfect illustration. I am not afraid to say this moved me quite a bit.

7. United 93 (Paul Greengrass)
not that I feel that it isn't too soon for a major movie picture about 9/11, but if there's gotta be one, this is it. I was at the edge of my seat for pretty much the entire thing, dreading what was about to come up, but completely unable to look away. People who say this is just another "rah-rah we will win" completely missed the point IMO. This movie showed what 9/11 revealed before all the rethoric and politics took over : people are capable of as much courage as stupidity and ignorance. It's not important to talk about them as heroes or martyrs, as those are labels that have been so branded about they've almost lost their meaning. No, these are simply people who tried to do what they thought was right at the time.

8.Inside Man (Spike Lee)
great directing by Spike Lee, to show us that this man really can do a great film when he wants to (and hasn't written the script).

9.The Wind That Shakes The Barley (Ken Loach)
Ken Loach hasn't lost his activist touch, and thankfully he keeps finding subjects that motivate him, but also great actors (Cillian Murphy, one word: wow)

10.The Science of Sleep (Michel Gondry)
cute story, and great visuals, but I still wish Gondry would let the writing to others

cos this is the new year

the funny thing about New Year's Eve celebrations is how many people complain about it. One of the gripes I've heard the most this year is how it's a "forced celebration". I guess when you know the date of a party in advance, it makes the party "forced", and thus sucks the fun out of it. Since that's how pretty much 99% of parties happen, I guess we should boycott all of them and see what gives.

I'm not saying NYE is the best party of the year, it rarely is. But it also one of the rare nights of the year when most people seem happy, and it's often a good opportunity to meet new folks. In my experience the best way to enjoy the event is to not put too much thought into its preparation. This year I was in London and went to a black-themed party (everyone dressed in said color) and it was good fun. Not the best party of the year, but good (sorta) drunken fun. And I didn't even have a hangover the following morning. Really, what more could you want ?

politics as usual

without getting into what my beliefs in the matter are, I have to say that I've been really enjoying all politics-related discussions lately. I've been with my extended family for a day now (for the annual xmas shebang) and every meal has featured at least one talk on the upcoming presidential election and the various themes that have been broached by the candidates.
As a true believer in the importance of voting (basically, if you don't do it, you're voiceless, however futile your vote might seem), I've enjoyed the act of voting since turning 18, but I guess it really took the 2007 presidential vote for me to get into all of the debates. What I enjoy most about these talks isn't necessarily getting my viewpoint across, though I do try to do that too, but mostly hearing the variety of opinions around the table. My family tends to be more on the intellectual side of things, so it's interesting to listen to what they've got to say about one candidate or the other. Even if the general prognosis isn't very good, the debates still tend to be pretty lively.
Living and traveling abroad, I've often had these discussions with locals, but it seems to me French people have a special talent when it comes to talking about the subject of politics by being both down on the idea and very into the ideas being exchanged. When I was younger I used to shun such talks, preferring to discourse about music or movies, but now I find I love to discuss politics or the economy with friends or family. One part of this change comes from having a job, paying taxes and generally considering myself a producing member of society, but another is definitely from having the right people to talk to. After all, if all you're able to discuss are the talking points you hear repeated ad nauseam on TV, the discussion probably won't go too far. Of course I'm still more inclined to want to talk about Terrence Malick's genius or how Midlake are the closest thing to Fleetwood Mac these days, but a little dollop of "grown-up" subjects is now an acquired taste for me.

long road

can't really believe it, but I'm on holiday as of tonight, until Jan. 3. Looking forward to spending xmas with the extended family, and New Year's in London at a friend's.
But for now the only objective is...sleep
nighty night

just breathe

according to a study published yesterday by Airparif (the official department in charge of monitoring air pollution in the Ile de France region), said pollution has decreased 32% in Paris since 2002. Combined with the launch of the much-ballyhooed tramway last weekend, this is another sign for backers of Paris' current mayoral team that their policies are starting to work and are the right way to go.
But it does not take more than a cursory analysis to realize that this impressive figure is actually the result of factors wholly different than local politics: broken down, this 32% figure is in fact composed of 26% due to car technological advances, and the rest, i.e. 6%, to the reduction of traffic in the city. Viewed thus, the evolution clearly doesn't seem that imposing, especially considering all the hullabaloo that was made around the introduction of bus corridors and how much they were supposed to reduce the number of cars driving around Paris, and thus, air pollution caused by the nitrogen oxide released by them. As the study points out, even though the amount of car traffic has decreased as hoped, the number of small vehicles like scooters, as well as delivery vans, has increased.
So overall, an effective 6% decline might not signal to a great policy, but I'm glad that this mayor and his team have been trying to change things (even if they have at times seemed a bit overeager on the roadwork aspect of things - see the horror that still is Boulevard Magenta, almost three years after work started). There's more and more talk of introducing a congestion tax in Paris, kind of like London has done, and that might be a good idea. But for now, I hope the city will stay the course on its current policy of trying to develop public transportation while still accommodating car owners who live in Paris (such as by providing cheap residential parking).

for more : Parisist

blogging is fun

wow, the Christmas break is just two weeks away, and I haven't blogged in a whiiile. Where does the time go, exactly ? And with a busy start of 2007 planned for me, I better start taking better blogging habits, like, right now.
Among the recent subjects of interest to me I'd like to address here:

• The Departed
• France 24
• The Waterboys
• proper apparel for running in the cold
• and of course, my year-end top 10 lists

let's see how many of these subjects I manage to post about. Not holding your breath ? Yeah, me neither

the name game

"what's in a name ?" asked that guy who wrote that movie starring LEO!. I believe there was some stuff after that too (something about a rose), but alas my Cliff Notes memory can't seem to unearth what that might be. Our name is our official label, something to be used by parents, teachers and customs officials alike. Not the most personalized feature for most of us, unless you have the unfortunate fortune of being named ESPN or some other idea that even a strung-out Bobby Brown would find ludicrious.

This is were nicknames come in. Whoever invented the concept was a true genius, a real mensch. Think about it, it probably goes back to some caveman, hanging out with his crew around a campfire, having a hard time pronouncing his buddy Harghjrusnf's name and proclaming "dude eff that, from now on I'm calling you Har". Thanks to that guy, we now have to deal with even more things to stuff in our incredibly-packed braincells. And that's not even counting the various "internet names" (rockchick84, pizzaisgood72...) that are now a part of our various identities, physical or virtual.

Nicknames are mostly a good thing. Even if it might sound a bit mean, like say, booger, it's something used by people out of love and affection. Sure, dictators have them too, but even for them it makes them sound better than their regular name. I mean, the Butcher of Baghdad isn't too cuddly, but it does sound pretty badass. So nicknames, generally a good thing.

Personally I never had too many of them. I've got a pretty organic one (matt, short for the longer version of matt) that has taken hold since living in the US, and a more recent one (lematt, you know, like Le Royal Cheese). But one thing that I've realized is that who uses that nickname is something I pay attention to. For some reason it sort of makes me feel weird when someone I don't consider a friend (or part of family) uses it. Sure, I don't mention it when it happens, but I've noticed that it kind of cools the familiarization process, as if it were too soon (?), as if they didn't have the right to do so. Which is completely and utterly stupid, I know, but apparently that's how my mind works. What makes it even more odd is that matt is pretty much my handle online, in one form or another. So I don't care if some stranger writing from Des Moines, Iowa calls me Matt, but if it's simply a real-world acquaintance, someone I don't have too much in common with and do not consider myself friends with I'll make a mental note of it. Granted this doesn't happen very often, since I tend to hang out with friends mostly, and become friends with theirs, but there's been a small number of occasions that have made me wonder about this phenomenon.

In a way I would sort of like to not care at all when it happens, because I'm generally very laid-back about most things in life. Actually i've been accused of being too laid-back at times, and definitely never of being too tense/stressed. But overall I don't really care about being that way. Each person's brain works in peculiar ways, and if this is the worst mine can come up with, I'll take it. Plus being called lematt by some random acquaintance sure beats being called the butcher of baghdad by pretty much the entire world.

shoe-in

apparently shoe sizes are now as random as celebrity baby names (fun fact of the year: Jason Lee's kid is named Pilot Inspektor. Yes, Pilot Inspektor. The fact that it is based in part on a Granddaddy song does not even begin to redeem this horrible decision, even in bizzaro hipster world). Usually a size 44 person, this weekend I went to the Alter Mundi store (Google maps), which sells environment-friendly and fair-trade products, to find a gift for some newly-wed friends, and ended up buying myself some Veja trainers, size 42. Never before had I bought shoes in a size below 43 1/2, but whatever works I guess. The funny thing is I recently bought another pair of trainers which are size 45 and both pairs are pretty much the same size, give or take half an inch.

If you haven't heard of them, Veja is a young French brand which makes its shoes in Brazil using local producers according to fair-trade principles. Their sneakers are beginning to be more and more popular on the streets of Paris, which is a good thing because it might mean that other brands will follow suit and design fashionable ethical apparel or shoes.

Their first models were textile-based, kind of like low-cut Converse, and they've just released a leather shoe, which felt so comfy and light that I decided to purchase a pair on the spot. Since my Onitsuka Tigers are about to give their last breath, I felt these would be a worthy successor.

But without a doubt, the real highlight of my weekend was watching the amazing Half Nelson. Featuring extraordinary performances by Ryan Gosling (best young actor working today) and Shareeka Epps, as well as the always-perfect music of Broken Social Scene, this movie definitely warrants itself a whole post. The director, Ryan Fleck, manages to look at a tough yet cliche-burdened subject like drug addiction in a refreshing and engaging manager, and the whole thing left me quite moved. Still not better than Children of Men, but I've definitely found my 2nd favorite movie this year. Two movies which I will probably own on DVD when they come out, something I hadn't done for recent flicks since Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I guess that's why you should always wait until the very end of the year to make up your annual top 10 lists.

a real tragedy

when it comes to comedy, I'm a pretty basic guy. Being a child of the 80s, weaned on American pop culture, it was all about Eddie Murphy (remember when he used to be funny, nay hilarious ?), Bill Murray or Steve Martin. Some slapstick humore, a touch of witticism with funny faces and TA-DA, you've got comedy gold. Of course it's all about personal taste when it comes to humor, taste which is generally molded during one's childhood (it's probably why I don't find Les Bronzés that funny, although I did love Le Pere Noel Est Une Ordure), but those types of movies, like Caddyshack or The Jerk, are at the apex of the genre to me.

However recently I've noticed a noticeable dearth of good comedies. Hollywood still cranks them out faster than a cheetah on steroids, but mostly they're hit-and-miss : some chuckles here and there, but a lot of blanks in between. In the past few years I really enjoyed two comedies: Old School (which is genius) and Elf. The fact that both star comedy savant Will Ferrell is certainly no stranger to that. Good comedies aren't merely about good writing and wacky situations, though those certainly help, but principally great characters. The other so-called comedy blockbusters I've seen (40 Year Old Virgin, Wedding Crashers, The Break Up, have all failed to wow me, often because I'm tired of comedies trying to be romantic comedies at the same time. Last I checked girls enjoy laughing (a fact that represents 95% of my flirting "technique"), and do not need to have those cheesy romance elements to enjoy a comedy.

But this grim outlook on the state of comedies could very well change this week, all due to one heroic undertaking: the release of Borat, the movie (subtitle: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazhakstan). It tells the tale of the eponymous character, a Khazak journalist intent on traveling through the US of A to find out more about the country and teach them about his. Needless to say, hi-jinks WILL ensue. It's filmed as a documentary, and is based on the character created by Sacha Baron Cohen for his TV show. I'm just saying this in case my 5 daily readers are the ones that might've never heard of the guy, so incessant has been the hype. Which it should, based on stunts like this. I've enjoyed his TV skits for a while now, and I'm overjoyed to know that very soon (tonight, actually) I'll be enjoying 86 glorious minutes of the man who brought "sexy time explosion" into the common lexicon.

that's hot (c) Paris

because we can't always talk about politics, I give you....(LOUD MOVIE TRAILER GUY VOICE) a website about dogs dressed as bumblebees.
The internet just keeps getting awesomer every day. Matter of fact, if I have a son, I may have to name him that. And if it's a girl, Internette.

little thoughts

the Internet, it sure does move fast doesn't it ? One minute it's all about Brad and Jen, the next global warming. If you sleep too much, i.e. do not open your RSS newsreader often enough, you're bound to feel a little behind the times.

Music is one of the areas that's been at the forefront of Internet evolution, from the early-days FTP servers to the first incarnation of Napster (R.I.P.), then on to Wifi MP3 players and online personalized radio streams. One such development has been the leak of albums before their official release date. Nowadays it is very rare for an album to not appear online at least a few weeks before it's scheduled to hit stores (both virtual and physical). It's got to be maddening for artists and their labels, but it's not a trend I see slowing down anytime soon. Not to sound too USA Today-ish here, but this has some good sides and some bad ones. The bad thing is all the effort the bands/artists go through to record the best possible product, from the quality of the sound mix, to the selection of proper tracks, are sort of in vain when a copy that often isn't the final version pops up on the peer-to-peer networks. The good thing is this advance availability can increase awareness for this release and actually lead to more people buying the album when it comes out. The reason for that being that once prominent music blogs start talking about an upcoming record that people have heard and can comment on, it creates a publicity buzz that no ad campaign can truly generate.

Case in point: the second Bloc Party album. BP is part of the recent post-punk movement, that has seen tremendous success for bands such as Franz Ferdinand, Maximo Park and Arctic Monkeys. Bloc Party's released their first album, Silent Alarm, in 2005 and quickly established themselves at the forefront of this new subgenre. The urgent guitars and piercing drums that made you want to dance were there, but they also seemed to be interested in matters of the modern world. Sure, most of their songs could be contrived to be about that universal subject that is love, but from reading interviews and trying to decipher lyrics, it also sounded as if this band thought about weightier things (for instance one of the songs on FA is called Price of Gas) . Thus their second one, due for release in February 2007, was eagerly awaited by a lot of people, myself included.

Cue this past Sunday, when word got out on music message boards and other mp3 blogs (like Stereogum) that the new BP album had leaked. Of course I hopped on my favorite download train rightaway and added the album to my iTunes library. My principle when it comes to downloading albums is: if I like, I buy. Downloading an album, to me, is just a more elaborate way to sample it than hearing it in a record store or on the radio. When I don't like I trash it, and if I do, I'll buy it (more or less promptly, but I generally get around to it). Well, it looks like I'll have to set aside 10 pounds from my February budget, because this album is really good. Like, gets better after each listen good. By yesterday I had already raved about it to pretty much every friend I talked to. Out of 11 songs there's maybe 2 I don't enjoy too much, and even these I don't skip over. Bloc Party aren't one of my favorite bands, but they might join that ellusive status with this album.

Do I think it's normal that I can listen to an album that's only due to be commercialized in 2 months ? No, not really, but that's the way things have been for a while now, and as long as it stays out of the mainstream, I don't think it will change. For now it's still just something for music geeks like myself to get excited over on Internet message boards and blogs. It might affect sales in a small way, but I suspect most people that download instead of buying weren't necessarily going to buy the CD anyway. Of course in a world where there's such a dichotomy between laws (in some countries it's illegal to even rip your own CDs to your computer) and the common practices such as the one described in this post, there's bound to be a lot of gray areas. And I'm not a black and white person.

president ! president !

with all the burgeoning talk of the upcoming 2007 presidential election in France, I thought I'd ease myself into a political frame of mind by watching the recent France 2 documentary about Jacques Chirac. It was the talk of the town when it was shown in late October (seriously, I participated in multiple talks about it. in bars. on a Friday night), and I felt it would give me some insight into a very complex public figure. To people my age it might seem like the guy's been there forever, and this doc does nothing to dispel the notion. Presented in two parts, one focusing on the pre-1975 years (title: "the young wolf"), the other on the period since then ("the old lion"), the object of this program was to present a complete view on Chirac's accomplishments, bungles, and overall evolution. Chirac's been a part of French political life for so long (basically since the early 50s), it's quite fascinating to see how much his staying power has owed not only to his personal ambition but also to back-room wheeling and dealing on his part by different party elders.

The major impression I got after watching the whole thing was that although the current president of France has become somewhat of a caricature today, he has been one of the more impressive figures of the last 50 years in French politics. Apart from Francois Mitterand, who had his share of shady dealings, I don't know of anyone who has managed to adapt to ever-changing conditions yet remain true to his basic commitment to serving his country. I do not mean this particularly as a compliment, but simply because that's the feeling I get from everything I've read/hear/seen about him. You definitely get the impression that corruption was never far from the surface, especially during his years as mayor of Paris in the 80s and 90s, but looking at his entire work gives a more nuanced view. After all, he did do some good things like create the national unemployment agency ANPE (now the epitome of bureaucratic slowness, but a really good idea all the same), and apart from a single incident has always made it clear that he was completely against the extreme-right Front National party, something a few of his right-wing peers have not always been willing to do in tight election situations.

But since the last 20 years of his career have been marred by so many scandals and alleged corruption stories, the global view of his career has been marred, perhaps definitely. I don't particularly like him, but after watching this documentary I definitely kind of respect and understand what he's experienced a lot more than before. Yes he is stiff, yes he is a bit too loyal, but those character traits have mostly gotten worse as the years have gone on. I still would like him to face a real inquiry into what exactly his role was in those property scandals that happened while he was mayor of Paris, but I don't believe he was corrupted in the sense of increasing his personal wealth point of view, at least not more than anyone in that position would. While that doesn't make it excusable, that view is a bit more subdued than the ultra-shady and super-controlling figure that he has been portrayed as. Also, he gets criticized a lot for not doing much since becoming president, but if people agreed with the work of his prime ministers they wouldn't care about that. In France a president is mostly there for show, and the shaking of hands (of foreign dignitaries, old people and children), an activity at which Chirac seems to be especially good at, and fond of. So if you had to criticize him as president it would be mostly for picking his government heads too much based on his personal appreciation of them and not necessarily on their merits.

Of course it is quite probable that the real truth will never emerge, since that is the way things go when it comes to French politics. In that sense it was a pleasant surprise to see that this documentary was shown on a public channel, in prime-time. Programs like this are part of a healthy discourse on the role and work of our politicians, and though I wouldn't want to watch them too often (The Life and Times of Jack Lang, anyone ?), I'm glad they're made and not relegated to the late-night time slots.

oh my darling

as much as winter gets a bad rap for the -admittedly not that- cold climate it brings, one of the awesomely great things about it is being able to buy good clementines in pretty much any halfway decent grocery store. That fruit is like a gift from the gods, plus it only contains 30 calories per: everybody wins !
It's gotten to the point where I almost understand those people that gave some out at Halloween. Almost, I said.

recap

some of the highlights of the past week :
- put my current job tasks on hold for 5 days while I led a training session for new hires at my company. It was fun, tiring at first, but by the end of the week I'd got the hang of it, and I was almost sad to see it end
- saw Sufjan Stevens in concert at the Bataclan. Had my puny little mind blown away, and didn't even regret not bringing my camera, since I'm sure the memories will stay with me for a long long time. The first song of the encore, Concerning the UFO blabla, touched me to the very core. Those first few piano notes....aaaaahhhh
- went running and confirmed that yes, running in the cold ain't fun. But coming home after having run in the cold is one of the most satisfying feelings you can have
- had a great family dinner for my grandma. It was a surprise for her and it was awesome
- got back into communicating via Messenger. Boy it's been a while since I've heard that chime, it sure brings back memories. I know you can do video messenging nowadays, but for some reason it doesn't feel necessary
- spent a good 3 hours walking from Republique to the general vicinity of the Marais (rue des Francs Bourgeois et al). It's simply one of the only neighborhoods of Paris that's fun to walk around in on Sundays, especially if you're not set on going someplace in particular. It's also a great place to stop for a spot of tea, as you are wont to do on such days. Went past a Thai restaurant (Thai Spices ?) that looks great, I'm going to have to find an excuse to go there soon

Overall a pretty good week

never gone

wow, one week without posting, haven't had one of those in a while. Don't have anything worthwhile to write about for now, I'll have to try to get back into a more regular rhythm this coming week.
Although I will say this : Sufjan Stevens is a golden god

running on cloud nine

one of the biggest news in 2006 in the running consumer market has been the collaboration between Nike and Apple, two of the more effective companies in marketing new products, to release the Nike+ line of products. Representing a first in the marriage between sports and technology, this partnership is symbolized by the introduction of a series of Nike athletic wares (shoes, apparel...), as well as a special kit that can be linked to an iPod nano to enable runners to track their performance. With the nano thus set up, you can follow your progress in real time through your headphones, as you are running, and have it compared to certain objectives you've set up beforehand. For instance if your objective was to run 10Km and you run 11, a voice will come on over the music to let you know so. The really snazzy part of this apparatus is that you simply hook up the ipod to your computer to update your stats (through itunes) and view the results over time on the nike+ website.

When I started running seriously, around 4 months ago, this deal had just been announced, and I thought I'd be buying the kit as soon as it was released. I'd just bought a new nano, and back then could not envision running without my music (though I mostly used my old iPod mini to do so). But one day I tried running without music, to see how it felt, and I haven't looked back since. So when the kit was finally released in France in October, my interest had waned considerably.
Although I'd been running for 4 months, I hadn't invested in proper running shoes yet, so when I started feeling sore in one of my knees after the past few runs, I thought now was the time to do so. I scoured a few sports stores on Saturday but did not find a whole lot of models made specifically for running. Mostly they had the Nike Shox ones, in a whole slew of colors, which is great for fashion, but I've heard they're horrendous for running, so I finished my shopping trip empty-handed. Faced with the prospect of yet another run ending in discomfort today, I motivated after lunch and hit the Champs Elysees Nike store to try to find something there. Some "serious" runners have alleged that Nike is just a marketing company and that their shoes are not to par, but I've had a few in the past and haven't felt any different with the other brands I've had the opportunity to try, like Adidas or New Balance. Well except for the Shox, that is.
The first thing I saw when entering the store was a stand with all the Nike+ products. Since I'm not looking to run with my iPod, at least for the time being, I quickly headed to the basement floor where the men's section is. The Nike store on the Champs isn't as extensive as the other Niketown stores I've been to (in NYC and London), but it's got a decent selection. As I was looking at the different models I got to talking with a salesperson about how I was looking for a shoe that would feature maximum cushioning with a lightweight frame. To my surprise he recommended the zoom Moire, which are part of the afore-mentioned Nike+ line. I say surprise because they seemed so light and constraint-free that they would seem rather more suited to shorter runs. Of course it is possible that the guy was just trying to push one of his newer models, but considering that they had much more expensive shoes for sale, I'm guessing his advice was at least partly genuine. I tried them on and, lo and behold, they did feel mighty comfortable. Thus I quickly laid out the dough to buy them, almost giddy at the prospect of a pain-free run.
Later that afternoon, I took the shoes out for their first spin, and my initial feeling was completely confirmed. Not only are they light and very-well cushioned, they're very responsive. I throw in a few sets of stairs in my usual route, and every time I did one, I felt as if someone had added some mini-trampolines in my shoes. Quite a good surprise, I have to say.
Of course they weren't perfect, as I feel my feet weren't quite used to the shoes yet (or is it the other way round). But overall I'd say my initial run with these shoes was the equivalent of a good first date with no awkward silences. You don't find perfection on your first try, but getting some sort of familiarity so soon is a sign of great things to come. Now if you'll excuse me I've got to plan the second date, um run. I just have to figure out if I'm going to follow the two day rule or not or if I'm going to boldly wait for three.

home alone

rethorical question: is there a more underrated pleasure than working from home, wearing jeans and a comfy tee, while listening to some Johnny Cash ? I actually work much better when I'm at la casa, too bad it's still not too well accepted in the French corporate world.
The crazy thing is I did all my tasks for the day, and I actually feel relaxed ! I could definitely get used to this...

no respite

first thought of the day : wow, it is coooold. I haven't put on any heating in my room, since 2 days ago it was still Indian summer-like. But apparently now that's done for and the pseudo-Parisian winter is here. I say pseudo because the seasons aren't too well defined here, it really depends on the years (like the 14°C days we had in August). This brings me to a strange fact I've noticed: guys who dress with no regard for the weather. No matter what the conditions are like, frosty or balmy, you will see guys in Paris dressed as if these were totally irrelevant. For instance, this morning I saw at least two dudes wearing just a suit, when it was probably 2 or 3°C. That happens a lot in the winter : apparently some men have superhero suits that enable them from feeling the cold. And these guys do not wear a scarf, wool hat or anything that might shield them from the cold. Likewise, on the warmest days of the year, I always see some fellas still wearing a jacket. Never fails to amuse me, considering the temperature's generally above 30°C. Makes me wonder what the thought process for these dudes is in the morning. "Hey, it's August 4, I should really wear an extra layer, just in case there's a cold spell coming in from Russia". For some reason I see less women doing this, probably because women are more logical when it comes to clothes here (I said for clothes :) ).